The NPS was not very tax friendly when it was first available to the general public ten years ago. It was also regulated by a set of strict regulations. However, in the last ten years, the government has increased tax breaks, eased investment restrictions, and made withdrawal requirements more forgiving.
Despite this, investors are not rushing to invest in NPS. More than half of the 1.24 crore NPS members are federal and state workers who are required to participate in the programme. Another 44 lakh (or 35% of total members) are NPS Swavalamban investors, to whom the government provides a modest sum. Only approximately 17 lakh people in a country of 130 million have willingly enrolled in a scheme that meets all of the criteria for a decent retirement plan.
Long-term data reveals that investing in equity-oriented and market-linked securities has the best chance of making you wealthy. As a result, mutual funds would be the natural choice. However, the NPS has relatively modest fees and provides large tax benefits under three separate parts of the Internal Revenue Code.
NPS vs ELSS
How much Taxable:
Over the last year, the tax status of both ELSS and NPS has changed dramatically. Long-term capital gains from equities funds were formerly tax-free, but earnings of more than Rs 1 lakh in a financial year are now subject to a 10% tax. In the meantime, the NPS's taxability has shifted in the other way. Previously, only 40% of the corpus removed upon retirement was tax-free, while the remaining 20% was taxed at regular rates. The 60 percent is now tax-free in its whole.
The pension from the remaining 40% invested in an annuity, on the other hand, will be fully taxed as income. In the case of ELSS, careful capital gains tax planning can help you save money. However, the NPS annuity tax is inevitable.
Tax deductions are available for both ELSS and NPS. Section 80C allows you to deduct up to Rs 1.5 lakh in ELSS contributions. NPS contributions are also deductible under Section 80CCD(1), with a total limit of Rs 1.5 lakh under Section 80C. However, under a new Section 80CCD, NPS investors can claim an extra deduction of up to Rs 50,000. (1B). In the 30% tax rate, this translates to an extra Rs 15,600 in tax savings.
ELSS and NPS provide tax advantages:
NPS can help you save money on taxes in three ways.
Up to 1.5 lakh rupees with Section 80CCE
Up to 50,000 rupees with Section 80CCD(1B)
Section 80CCD(2) : allows up to 10% of basic
Section 80C allows ELSS to save up to Rs 1.5 lakh in tax.
That's not all, though. Salaried people can deduct more if their employer contributes up to 10% of their base income to the NPS under Section 80CCD (2). This deduction has no upper limit. If your basic income is Rs 50,000 per month and you pay 30% tax, your tax liability will be reduced by roughly Rs 18,720 if your firm pays 10% of your basic salary to the NPS.
How much Flexible:
Withdrawals are possible with ELSS, and shifting is possible with NPS.
ELSS funds invest solely in stocks, whereas NPS funds invest in a combination of equities, government securities, corporate bonds, and alternative assets. If investors are confident in their ability to make the best decision, they can determine their own asset mix. They can also choose lifecycle funds, which have a changing asset composition as the investor becomes older. Investors with varying risk appetites can choose from three lifecycle funds: aggressive, moderate, or cautious. The steady drop in equities exposure safeguards the corpus against volatility as the retirement date approaches for persons who are not well educated in market fluctuations.
The lock-in period for ELSS funds is three years. You can't touch the money before three years, even if the fund is performing poorly or the market is shaky. However, NPS permits investors to adjust their asset allocation or migrate to a different pension fund, however only two such changes are permitted every financial year.
A person can invest in as many ELSS funds as he or she like. The National Pension Scheme (NPS) does not allow for such variety. For his whole portfolio, the investor must choose only one pension fund.
ELSS participants can invest in monthly driblets of Rs 100. However, if NPS investors invest a modest amount, they will end up paying a large transaction charge. The transaction cost is Rs 20 (0.25%) of the contribution amount. The transaction charge of Rs 20 will be 4% of the donation if you contribute Rs 500 every month.
How much Returns:
In the long term, ELSS can win.
ELSS funds are pure equity funds that maintain a high level of equity exposure (above 90-95 percent) throughout their investment cycle. However, NPS investors can't put more than 75% of their money into equity funds. Even active investors' 75 percent stock investment eventually decreases as they become older.
NPS's investment strategy
Investors can choose their own asset mix using Active Choice.
In the short term, the situation is different. In the past year, ELSS funds have only increased by 4%, whereas NPS stock funds have grown by double digits. This is due to the fact that ELSS funds invest in a variety of market areas. Small-cap and mid-cap equities account for around 10-15% of the corpus of even the most conservative ELSS fund manager.
NPS equities funds, are heavily weighted toward large-cap stocks.
NPS's Funds Returns:
Debt funds have also performed well over time.
When comparing NPS to ELSS, ELSS outperforms NPS in the long run, although NPS reduces fluctuations:
ELSS funds with a multicap focus have a better chance of outperforming the market and generating alpha over time. NPS funds, on the other hand, invest in a constrained universe, with index stocks filling their portfolios.
They have just lately been permitted to invest in futures and options .
How much Liquidity:
ELSS is locked in for three years; NPS is locked in till retirement.
ELSS participants can withdraw their assets and even quit investing after the lock-in period is finished. The NPS has a significantly longer time horizon than the NPS. In most cases, you can withdraw only after you retire or reach the age of 60, whichever comes first. Only specified reasons, such as a child's further education and marriage, or the treatment of a grave disease, are permitted partial withdrawals. However, you may only do so three times throughout the subscription's lifetime and only if you've been a member of the NPS for three years.
Only 60% of the corpus can be taken as a lump amount after retirement. The remaining 40% must be invested in an annuity in order to get a monthly income.
The subscriber can only withdraw the full amount if the total corpus is less than or equal to Rs 2 lakh. If a subscriber's account has been active for ten years, he or she can opt out of the NPS. However, in such situation, the subscriber can only collect 20% of the lump payment, with the remaining 80% invested in an annuity to give a monthly income.
Some analysts argue that the little liquidity given by NPS is really a favorable aspect. ELSS may build wealth only if you invest regularly and keep for the long term.
Costings:
NPS is significantly less expensive than ELSS Mutual funds have a rather straightforward pricing structure. The total expense ratio is a single value that represents this (TER). On a daily basis, the TER is subtracted from the fund's NAV. Regular ELSS funds have a TER of roughly 2.4 percent, while direct plans purchased without a distributor are around 75-100 basis points less expensive.
NPS's Fees to Investors:
While the NPS is India's cheapest investment programme, it comes with a slew of fees, including an entrance cost on every deposit.
Even so, they can't match the NPS's ultra-low-cost structure. The NPS fund management charge is among the lowest for equity-linked securities, at 0.01 percent. However, the investor's expenses do not end there. NPS charges are layered, with one-time charges at the time of onboarding and a flat price required for each transaction.
NPS investors, according to mutual fund distributors, should pay more attention to expenses.Despite the complicated network of costs and deductions, the NPS is still less expensive than ELSS funds' direct plans.
What investors need to do?
According to financial advisers, ELSS should be the principal vehicle for long-term wealth generation due to its substantial equity exposure. Those who haven't used up their Sec 80C limit of Rs 1.5 lakh should invest in ELSS first, then use the supplementary NPS window of up to Rs 50,000.
It is important to remember that investment decisions should not be made solely on the basis of tax advantages. In addition, investors should think about how an instrument fits within their entire financial strategy, asset allocation, and risk profile, before making a purchase. NPS is a good option for investors who aren't confident in their ability to make their own financial decisions. Investors in lifecycle funds might benefit from the auto-selection option.
NPS vs. ELSS isn't an either/or situation. Planners believe that both products can work together in a long-term investment portfolio.
ELSS may be used as a tactical vehicle for short-term aims, NPS can be employed as a long-term strategy.
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